Exhaust pipe attachment for filtering exhaust gases



Dec. 17, 1963 L. M. ROWE ETAL 3,114,617

EXHAUST PIPE ATTACHMENT FOR FILTERING EXHAUST GASES Filed April 25, 1960 2a 4a /6 54 78 Mfl ilP I 28 32 [o K N o] Lester M. Rowe Millard C Torman L 11; Fig. 5 INVENTORS &3 J3 m. BY

52 5 I Anmq: 56 V -5s United States Patent Oflice 3,114,617 EXHAUT PIPE ATTACHMENT FOR FILTERING EXHAUST GASES Lester M. Rowe, 1453 45th St, acrarnento, and Millard C. Totman, 1524 Rosewood Way, Colusa, Califi, Filed Apr. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 24,347 2 Claims. (Cl. 5526'7) This invention relates to a novel and useful exhaust pipe attachment, and more particularly to an exhaust pipe attachment which is specifically adapted for filtering the exhaust gases of internal combustion engines.

Two of the by-products of an internal combustion engine are water vapor and carbon. At least some authorities believe that smog is partially caused by small par ticles of carbon surrounded by droplets of water egress from the exhaust pipes of internal combustion engines such as those utilized in the motor vehicles of today. Many communities, due to certain atmospheric conditions and the use of an extremely large number of motor vehicles experience serious smog conditions. Although many different forms of attachments for exhaust pipes have been designed including those that attempt to en trap the unburned portion of the exhaust gases and reroute these gases to the intake of the internal combustion engine, most of these previously known attachments have not concentrated upon the removal or" carbon and water vapor from the exhaust of an internal combustion engine.

The main object of this invention is to provide an engine exhaust pipe attachment which will condense a large portion of the water vapor from the exhaust of an internal combustion engine and utilize the condensed water vapor for entrapping and collecting the unburned particles of carbon in the exhaust gases egressing from the exhaust pipe.

A further object of this invention, in accordance with the immediately preceding object, is to provide a hollow housing adapted for securement to the rear end of an exhaust pipe which is mounted upon an exhaust pipe in a manner to insulate the housing from the exhaust pipe to reduce the heat transfer from the latter to the housing whereby the walls of the housing will be maintained at a temperature considerably less than that of the exhaust pipe and exhaust gases. The exhaust gases egressing from the exhaust pipe are directed against the rear wall of the housing which is substantially cooler than the exhaust gases whereby water vapor will be condensed from the exhaust gases. The unburned carbon particles egressing from the exhaust pipe will strike the rear Wall of the housing on which the water vapor of the exhaust is being condensed and the carbon particles will cling to the moistened rear wall of the housing.

Yet another object of this invention, in accordance with the preceding objects, is to provide the housing with a sump to which all of the condensed water in the housing will travel by virtue of gravity and in which there is provided an outlet opening having a porous filter removably secured thereover so that the condensed water vapor may be filtered to remove the carbon particles therefrom before passing through the outlet opening.

A still further object of this invention, in accordance with the preceding objects, is to provide the housing with a plurality of internal bafiles which will also function as heat transfer surfaces on which water vapor of the exhaust from the internal combustion engine may condense.

A further object of this invention is to provide a tortuous path for the exhaust gases passing through the housing of the attachment whereby centrifugal force will assist in the removal of the carbon particles from the exhaust gases.

Yet another object of this invention, in accordance with Patented Dec. 17, 1963 the preceding objects, is to provide a means for mounting the attachment on an exhaust pipe whereby the attachment will be insulated from the exhaust pipe to greatly reduce the heat transfer from the exhaust pipe to the attachment thereby assuring a still greater differential between the temperature of the attachment and the temperature of the exhaust gases and exhaust pipe.

A final object to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide an engine exhaust pipe attachment which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and require a minimum amount of maintenance so as to provide a device which will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the exhaust pipe attachment shown mounted upon the outlet end of an exhaust pipe;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the attachment illus trated in FIGURE 1, parts thereof being broken away, shown in section and in phantom lines to more clearly illustrate the details of construction;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 4-4 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 5-5 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the exhaust pipe attachment comprising the present invention which includes a housing 12 which is generally rectangular and is provided with an opening 14, see FIGURE 4, in the front wall 16, see FIGURE 3, thereof in which there is secured, in any convenient manner, a sleeve 18. The sleeve 18 is slightly larger than the rear end of the exhaust pipe 20 and is secured thereabout by means of a clamp assembly 22. It will be noted, see FIGURE 4 in particular, that a sleeve 24 of insulating material is disposed between the adjacent surfaces of the exhaust pipe 20 and the sleeve 18. The insulating material 24 is to maintain the heat transfer from the exhaust pipe 20 to the housing 12 at a minimum.

The housing 12 is provided with a sump 26 formed by the rearwardly declining bottom wall 28. The bottom wall 28 terminates a spaced distance from the rear wall 30 to form an opening 32 extending between the side walls 34 and 36. It will be noted that the top wall 38 of the housing 12 is formed of a continuation of the upper surfaces of the sleeve 18. The forward wall 16 of the housing 12 includes opposite side rearwardly divergent sections 40 and 42.

The housing 12 is provided With a horizontally disposed baffle plate 44 which extends rearwardly from the front wall 16 to a point a spaced distance from the rear wall 30. The horizontal baffle 44 extends entirely across the housing 12 and between the side walls 34 and 36. The baffle 44 is positioned vertically to extend in a plane passing immediately beneath the lower surfaces of the exhaust pipe 20. Secured between the baflie 44 and the top wall 33 are a pair of vertically disposed baffles 46 and 48 which each lie in a plane extending parallel to and in substantial alignment with the outer side edges s?) of the sleeve 18. Thus, exhaust gases entering the housing 12 from the exhaust pipe 29 are constrained to the space defined by the vertical bafiles 46 and 48 and the bafile 44 and the top wall 38 until the exhaust gases pass beyond the rear edges of the bafiles 44, 46 and 48. At this point, the exhaust gases strike the rear wall 30' of the housing 12 and are deflected forwardly in the three areas, see FIGURE 5, defined between the bathe walls 44, 46 and 48 and the outer walls of the housing 12. The housing 12 is maintained at a temperature considerably lower than that of the exhaust gases due to the air cooling of the housing and the insulated mounting of the latter upon the end of the exhaust pipe 20. Therefore, as the moist exhaust gases strike the rear wall 30, a certain amount of the water vapor is condensed from the exhaust gases. At the same time, unburned particles of carbon suspended in the exhaust gases strike the rear wall 30 of the housing 12 due to the centrifugal force of the reverse flow of the exhaust gases collected by the moisture on the rear wall 30. A porous filter 50 is removably secured over the opening 32 by means of retaining flanges 52 and the swingably mounted door 54. The condensed water vapor and the collected carbon particles then flow into the sump 26 and onto the filter 56 which will filter the carbon particles from the condensed water 'vapor and enable the moisture to exit through the opening 32.

The door 54 is generally L-shaped in cross-section and U-shaped in plan and is hingedly secured at one end to the side wall 34 of the housing 12 by means of a hinge assembly 56 and is retained in position across the rear wall of the housing 12 by means of a clamp assembly 58 carried by the side wall 36 of the housing 12 which engages the end of the door 54 remote from the hinge assembly 56. Of course, the door 54 may be opened by disengaging the clamping assembly 58 to periodically change the porous filter 50.

The side walls 34 and 36 of the housing 12 are provided with exhaust openings 60 and 62 respectively, which are formed in the forward portions of the walls 34 and 36 and above the sump 26.

The rearwardly divergent portions 46 and 42 of the front wall 16 which project outwardly beyond the vertical baffles 46 and 48 are provided with vertically extending openings 64 and 66 respectively. Swingably mounted doors 68 and 70 are provided for the openings '64 and 66, respectively, and the frame-like doors 68 and 70 are utilized to maintain the porous filters 72 and 74 in position over the openings 64 and 66. The openings 64 and 66 also serve as exhaust openings and the filters 72 and 74 will assure that still more water vapor and carbon particles are removed from the exhaust gases. Clamp assemblies 76 and 78 are used to removably secure the doors 68 and 70 respectively, in the closed position.

It is to be understood that the bafiies 44, 46 and 48 each afiford additional heat transferring surfaces which will condense a water vapor from the exhaust gases passing through the attachment 10. The sump 26 is, of course, positioned lowermost in the housing 12 and therefore all of the moisture condensed from the exhaust gases together with the carbon particles trapped by the condensed moisture will move toward the filter which will filter the carbon particles from the condensed water vapor.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An engine exahust pipe attachment comprising a closed hollow housing, said housing including a front wall having an inlet opening formed therein and including means adapted to secure said attachment on the outlet end of an exhaust pipe in poor heat transfer relation therewith, said housing including top and bottom walls interconnected at their corresponding edges by means of opposite side walls and at their rear ends by means of a rear wall also extending between said opposite side walls, a horizontal baffle wall scoured at its forward end to said front wall and extending between said side walls from the front wall of said housing to a point spaced from a rear wall thereof and in a plane spaced below said top wall, a pair of vertically disposed bafiie Walls secured between said horizontal baffie and said top wall, secured to said front wall at their forward ends, and extending longitudinally of said housing and spaced laterally of said side walls and terminating a spaced distance from the rear wall of said housing, the area bound by said top, horizontal bafile and vertical bafille walls defining an exhaust passage communicated with said inlet opening at its forward end and terminating a spaced distance forwardly of said rear wall at its rear end, said bottom wall being rearwardly and downwardly inclined from the forward end of said horizontal baffle wall and defining a sump at its rear end portion between said opposite side walls, an outlet opening formed in the rear end portion of said bottom wall and filter means disposed over said last-mentioned opening, said side walls, above said horizontal bafile wall, having exhaust openings formed therein.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said front wall includes rearwardly divergent sections extending between said vertical baffles and the corresponding side walls, egress openings formed in said rearwardly divergent sections, porous filters and means removably securing said last-mentioned filters over said egress openings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,167,691 Hemme Jan. 11, 1916 1,828,626 Swendeman Oct. 20, 1931 2,508,015 Dexter May 16, 1950 2,822,886 Schweitzer et al. Feb. 11, 1958 2,932,157 Villasenor et al. Apr. 12, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 522,332 Great Britain June 14, 1940 

1. AN ENGINE EXAHUST PIPE ATTACHMENT COMPRISING A CLOSED HOLLOW HOUSING, SAID HOUSING INCLUDING A FRONT WALL HAVING A INLET OPENING FORMED THEREIN AND INCLUDING MEANS ADAPTED TO SECURE SAID ATTACHMENT ON THE OUTLET END OF AN EXHAUST PIPE IN POOR HEAT TRANSFER RELATION THEREWITH, SAID HOUSING INCLUDING TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS INTERCONNECTED AT THEIR CORRESPONDING EDGES BY MEANS OF OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS AND AT THEIR REAR ENDS BY MEANS OF A REAR WALL ALSO EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS, A HORIZONTAL BAFFLE WALL SECURED AT ITS FORWARD END TO SAID FRONT WALL AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS FROM THE FRONT WALL OF SAID HOUSING TO A POINT SPACED FROM A REAR WALL THEREOF AND IN A PLANE SPACED BELOW SAID TOP WALL, A PAIR OF VERTICALLY DISPOSED BAFFLE WALLS SECURED BETWEEN SAID HORIZONTAL BAFFLE AND SAID TOP WALL, SECURED TO SAID FRONT WALL AT THEIR FORWARD ENDS, AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID HOUSING AND SPACED LATERALLY OF SAID SIDE WALLS AND TERMINATING A SPACED DISTANCE FROM THE REAR WALL OF SAID HOUSING, THE AREA BOUND BY SAID TOP, HORIZONTAL BAFFLE AND VERTICAL BAFFLE WALLS DEFINING AN EXHAUST PASSAGE COMMUNICATED WITH SAID INLET OPENING AT ITS FORWARD END AND TERMINATING A SPACED DISTANCE FORWARDLY OF SAID REAR WALL AT ITS REAR END, SAID BOTTOM WALL BEING REARWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY INCLINED FROM THE FORWARD END OF SAID HORIZONTAL BAFFLE WALL AND DEFINING A SUMP AT ITS REAR END PORTION BETWEEN SAID OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS, AN OUTLET OPENING FORMED IN THE REAR END PORTION OF SAID BOTTOM WALL AND FILTER MEANS DISPOSED OVER SAID LAST-MENTIONED OPENING, SAID SIDE WALLS, ABOVE SAID HORIZONTAL BAFFLE WALL, HAVING EXHAUST OPENINGS FORMED THEREIN. 